It was an early start on a summer's day when 10 young people, 2 FORM Gap Year Students and 4 leaders boarded two minibuses for the trip to Heathrow and onward to Romania. Months of planning and fund-raising had taken place and now it was time to support the work of Cry in the Dark in Romania. Here is an account of the trip, mostly from the young people who were involved.
After the 3 hour drive to Heathrow (we caught the rush hour), 2 hours checking in and a 3 hour flight we arrived at Bucharest. ‘Our introduction to this beautiful country was the searing heat that hit you like a wave as soon as you step out of the plane. We all rushed for the minibus that we had been told had the stronger air conditioning. Unfortunately for those, including myself, who had secured their place on the desired bus, this vehicle had the local Romanian driver who, we soon found out, drove like most Romanians; very fast between horse-drawn carts and with no regard to road markings unless there were police around!’ (Becky Webb). 5 hours later, we arrived at Casa Albert, near Bacau, north-east Romania, which was going to be our home for the next week. We were looked after by Steve Cooper, founder member and director of Cry in the Dark, and Beth Johnson, who did most of the cooking.
The task for the first 2 days was to unload a huge 15m truck filled with supplies, (including 3000 separate cans of baked beans!) driven over from England. First off the truck were various boxes of equipment for the Robert Cole Centre, an education centre in Comanesti run by the Biggin Hill Romania Group. This took most of the morning before moving on to Casa Lumina, also in Comanesti, to unload food and provisions for the residents of this home for life run by Cry in the Dark. While we waited for an hour for our pizzas to turn up for lunch, the driver managed to manoeuvre the lorry through a small gate into the grounds of Casa Lumina. This meant that there was not so far to carry all the provisions and we soon had ‘a chain going in a textbook example of teamwork.’ Peter Ling says “this was different from the other activities we ended up doing because rather than just playing with the children, which in itself was hugely beneficial, we could actually do some hard manual labour which is well worth every minute and physically changed the way I think about 'helping'. This was hard work and it was especially nice to see the effects of our actions and the money which gets given to charities. I was on the front line of charity work.’ In the afternoon of the second day we also unloaded 60 sheets of plaster board for work needed in Casa Lumina.
Day 3 Sunday - we drove for an hour from Casa Albert to Comanesti to join the Baptist Church next door to Casa Lumina. During the various trips to Romania with
Revival young people we have developed a relationship with some of the members at the Church. It is always interesting going into a Church Service where you are never sure what is going on and you don’t get a welcome. What is it like for visitors at our own church? We shared a couple of testimonies and songs with them and we were invited to play football with some of the “young people” on the Monday evening (you’ll have to talk to one of the young people about that experience!)
After lunch Steve and Beth had arranged for us a visit to a gypsy village. ‘We drove along a long dusty track, a long way from the main road, to reach Negastra Lui. These people are isolated because they are seen as second class citizens. We came to show them that they are loved and not forgotten by God as well as by us. We were greeted by a large crowd of children running after the two buses, shouting and waving, making us feel very welcome. We spent the afternoon playing all sorts of games and painting the children’s faces outside the tiny, one-roomed shacks of the sort that you may expect to find in Africa, but not inside the EU. Temperatures reach -30oC in Romania during the winter and it is horrific to think that these pathetic excuses for houses are all these people have to protect them from the cold.’ (Becky Webb)
During Monday and Tuesday morning the team was split into three groups. One group went with Steve to a small building project Cry in the Dark were carrying out. Some of Cry in the Dark’s work is to support people in their homes and help them improve their living conditions. This particular case involved a lady they had got to know when she lived in an orphanage in Comanesti. She is married and has a baby daughter and this small family live in a room attached to her in-law’s small house. The one room these three were living in was very small and the plan was to knock down one of the walls and extend the room by a couple of metres, with a new door and a window. Just this small amount would make such a big difference to the living conditions of this small family. Helen Rochead says, ‘I also loved doing the building work. That little family did not have much, but they were so proud of what they did have. They were so keen to help, so generous with the little they had. Louisa, Hannah and I were sitting on the floor and they went to get us something to sit on. They brought us water to drink and offered us juice and coffee too. It was just so humbling to see, as this family had all their belongings outside and a long drop as a toilet yet they wouldn’t even let us sit on the floor. I felt very blessed by them and really see God showing me how blessed I am with the life I have.’
Another group had the opportunity to go with some of the Casa Albert staff on home visits. Lou Skevington tells us, ‘The same positive attitude was experienced with the families that I visited with the nurse who were all extremely welcoming and kind despite their situations. One patient, Lorenzo, who was physically disabled, depended on his alcoholic sister for care and had had a difficult past, as one family member had hanged himself in their house. It was difficult to see how this family, and many others, would be able to provide sufficiently for themselves in the future, as well as during winter months when temperatures can reach -30 degrees C.’
The rest of the team visited Casa Lumina. Both days we played games in their garden with the more able residents before going inside for a Bible story and craft time. On the Monday, this was the story of the Good Samaritan performed by sock puppets the young people had made before the trip. We then helped the residents to make their own puppets. Peter Ling says, ‘When going to Casa Lumina, I was really worried about the whole thing. I find it really hard to interact with people who have mental difficulties and was worried that I would find it really uncomfortable playing, talking and enjoying their company. But as soon as I got there, I realised the joy that we were bringing, and that us going out there to help was a large majority of the attention and love they got. I completely forgot about being worried about the experience, but started to enjoy it. It was really a brilliant experience and knowing that just a few hours of our time makes people feel of worth. It's an amazing feeling.
On Tuesday afternoon we visited a state run institution for adults with physical and mental disabilities. Becky Webb continues, ‘Once again, we found ourselves bumping along a deserted track, leading us further away from any civilization. And, once again, this meant that the people we were going to visit were second-class citizens whom the rest of the population didn’t want to know anything about. We were being taken to the state run mental institute to deliver food and love. 80 patients reside in the home, with very few carers. Out of desperation and lack of training, these carers tie patients to their beds and carry sticks in order to control them. I found it very hard not to cry as we sung the children’s worship song that says “Jesus never, never, never turns anyone away”, thinking of these poor people, turned away by society. All too quickly we had to leave, although every single member of our team desperately wanted to stay and somehow change the conditions and forgotten lives there.’ We were able to take some of the food we had unloaded from the lorry and put it into their almost empty store room. Jackie Foden states, ‘The most poignant memory for me was the way the group coped with the visit to the state institution. That was absolutely the hardest part of the trip for me. To see so many voiceless people in such a terrible state, not feeling loved or cared for was horrendous. Their pleasure at seeing us was incredible. I know some of the young people were terribly upset by this but I think the group were so courageous in facing up to some of the things we witnessed.’
On Wednesday the team was tasked with providing activities, both outside and indoors, for the day patients to Casa Albert. The outdoor activities consisted mostly of ball and parachute games, whilst indoors was mainly craft activities and board or card games. 12 of these patients ranging from 5 to 16 years old and have various illnesses like HIV Aids, cancer, heart problems, etc. The young people acted out the story of the Good Shepherd and there was another appearance of the sock puppets for the story of the Good Samaritan. Jo Plummer spent most of the day on a space hopper with one of the younger patients who wouldn’t let Jo let up from following her around. In the evening we relaxed with a barbecue and bonfire and Thursday began the long trip back to Woodbridge.
As a team, we are very grateful to everyone who supported us in prayer and financially. Sarah Nichols sums up the trip by saying, ‘8 days of fun, fellowship and God. The whole experience has been invaluable, life changing and extremely rewarding. I would like to think that I have made a difference, if only a small one, to lives of the people that I met over the week. God has opened my eyes to the seriousness of poverty and mental health issues, but has also shown me that his love spreads to the darkest places in the world. However bad the situation that many of the Romanians were in, they always seemed to approach life with a smile, and they welcomed us with open arms.’ All of the team were touched in some way and some were challenged about what they feel God is calling them to in the future.
Hannah Ling says, ‘My experience has also confirmed in me a desire that I believe God has placed on my heart. I want to help children in poverty again in the future, but on a more permanent and bigger scale. Also I think it has helped me come to the certain conclusion that I want to study Geography at university. It seems the right step forward if a change to poverty is to be made, as Geographical knowledge helps to understand the individual’s situation, the government’s initiatives and develop problem-solving skills to integrate sustainable solutions. Yet even as I write this I feel a fraud. How can I claim to believe I can make a difference in the future? I don’t know the future and I certainly don’t know where I would start if I were to try and help fight poverty. And there’s still a big part of me that doesn’t believe it’s even going to happen. However whilst we were in Romania each of us were given a passage from Ephesians to give a small talk on to the rest of the group. Part of mine was chapter 3 verse 20: ‘With God’s power working in us, God can do much, much more than anything we can ask or imagine.’ This is a verse that continuously popped up and stood out to me during my summer, so I think God is trying to say something. I’ve realised I need to rely on God to show me what to do, how to do it and when to do it. If it doesn’t happen, then it was obviously never in God’s plan and I misinterpreted Him, but I believe it’s what he wants. Yes, making a difference in the world is a massive thing to achieve and I realistically can’t imagine doing it, yet it’s not through my power, it’s His working in me! I also realise that I needn’t worry so much, for example about my future, I just need to trust in Him. What right do I have to worry when some of the people I met don’t know how they’ll keep warm this winter, how they’ll provide enough food for their families or how they’ll cope with the contaminated water in the well they have to drink from? It’s something I certainly need to work on with help from God.
Helen Rochead says, ‘God has really blessed the young people of Casa Lumina through the work of Steve Cooper and Cry in the Dark. It is a charity relying on donations and Government funding, while we were out there the Government cut the funding for the staff at Casa Lumina (and other places like it in Romania) Without this money Steve will have to make redundant nearly, if not all, of the staff of Casa Lumina, which would mean the residents there would have to leave and live in a state run home. This is not what we want for them we want them to be able to stay where they are. This cannot happen without God and money. Please pray for Cry in the Dark and the guys over there, or you could donate, please visit www.cryinthedark.org for more details.
The people who went on the trip were:
Leaders:
Andy Williams, Jackie Foden, Kyle Buxton and Ivan Fearn
Young People:
Helen Rochead, David Pawson, Sam Bridgeman, Martha Coombs, Hannah Ling, Peter Ling, Sarah Nichols, Jo Plummer, Mali Roberts, Theo Roberts, Louisa Skevington and Becky Webb
It was an early start on a summer's day when 10 young people, 2 FORM Gap Year Students and 4 leaders boarded two minibuses for the trip to Heathrow and onward to Romania. Months of planning and fund-raising had taken place and now it was time to support the work of Cry in the Dark in Romania. Here is an account of the trip, mostly from the young people who were involved.
Revival young people we have developed a relationship with some of the members at the Church. It is always interesting going into a Church Service where you are never sure what is going on and you don’t get a welcome. What is it like for visitors at our own church? We shared a couple of testimonies and songs with them and we were invited to play football with some of the “young people” on the Monday evening (you’ll have to talk to one of the young people about that experience!) 
Hannah Ling says, ‘My experience has also confirmed in me a desire that I believe God has placed on my heart. I want to help children in poverty again in the future, but on a more permanent and bigger scale. Also I think it has helped me come to the certain conclusion that I want to study Geography at university. It seems the right step forward if a change to poverty is to be made, as Geographical knowledge helps to understand the individual’s situation, the government’s initiatives and develop problem-solving skills to integrate sustainable solutions. Yet even as I write this I feel a fraud. How can I claim to believe I can make a difference in the future? I don’t know the future and I certainly don’t know where I would start if I were to try and help fight poverty. And there’s still a big part of me that doesn’t believe it’s even going to happen. However whilst we were in Romania each of us were given a passage from Ephesians to give a small talk on to the rest of the group. Part of mine was chapter 3 verse 20: ‘With God’s power working in us, God can do much, much more than anything we can ask or imagine.’ This is a verse that continuously popped up and stood out to me during my summer, so I think God is trying to say something. I’ve realised I need to rely on God to show me what to do, how to do it and when to do it. If it doesn’t happen, then it was obviously never in God’s plan and I misinterpreted Him, but I believe it’s what he wants. Yes, making a difference in the world is a massive thing to achieve and I realistically can’t imagine doing it, yet it’s not through my power, it’s His working in me! I also realise that I needn’t worry so much, for example about my future, I just need to trust in Him. What right do I have to worry when some of the people I met don’t know how they’ll keep warm this winter, how they’ll provide enough food for their families or how they’ll cope with the contaminated water in the well they have to drink from? It’s something I certainly need to work on with help from God.